2026 California Democratic Primary
California Governor — Top Three Candidate Analysis
Side-by-side review of three leading candidates
Prepared by a Group of Indivisible Leaders in California representing Indivisible South Lake Tahoe, Indivisible El Dorado, Indivisible CA Green Team and Indivisible Santa Barbara
2026-05-01 · Sources: Candidate profiles, CA Secretary of State, public records
Tom Steyer
Investor · Philanthropist · Activist
Katie Porter
Law Professor · Former U.S. Rep.
Xavier Becerra
Former HHS Secretary · Atty. General
Background
- Yale B.A. summa laude (1979); Stanford MBA (1983)
- Founded Farallon Capital ($8M→$20B); left finance 2012
- Founded NextGen America; Galvanize Climate Solutions
- 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
- Yale B.A. cum laude (1996); Harvard Law J.D. magna cum laude (2001) — student of Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Tenured Professor, UC Irvine School of Law
- CA Monitor, National Mortgage Settlement (appt. by A.G. Kamala Harris, 2012–14)
- U.S. Rep. CA-45/47 (2019–2025); flipped historically Republican Orange County seat
- Stanford B.A. (1980, first in family to graduate); Stanford Law J.D. (1984)
- CA Assembly (1990–92); U.S. House, 12 terms (1993–2017); Chair, House Democratic Caucus
- CA Attorney General (2017–21): filed 122 lawsuits vs. Trump administration
- U.S. HHS Secretary (2021–25): oversaw COVID-19 response; implemented ACA
Key Priorities
- Climate: 100% clean energy; break PG&E monopoly; windfall profits tax on oil producers; green jobs
- Housing: Build 1 million affordable homes; close corporate property tax loopholes
- Healthcare: Single-payer transition
- Economy: Reform corporate taxes; make wealthy pay fair share
- Education: Free preschool and community college; subsidized childcare
- Climate: Expand renewables; defend clean air laws; protect public lands
- Housing: Cut red tape; legalize multi-family near transit (SB 79); crack down on Wall Street investors; expand Section 8
- Healthcare: Medicare for All; lower Rx costs; ban wrongful claim denials
- Economy: Eliminate state income tax for households <$100K; wealth tax on top earners
- Education: Free years 3–4 at UC; universal childcare; paid family leave
- Climate: Bureau of Environmental Justice (created as A.G.); defended CA clean car standards; less central to 2026 platform
- Housing: State power where market has failed; crack down on price gouging; expand rent protections
- Healthcare: Strengthen Medi-Cal; lower Rx costs; long-term Medicare for All
- Economy: Take on corporations; protect workers; preserve California Dream
- Rights: Immigrant communities, civil liberties
Key Endorsements
Elected officials: Betty Yee (endorsed upon suspending her own campaign); Toni Atkins (former CA Senate President pro tempore); Rep. Jared Huffman; Rep. Ro Khanna; Former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta; Ali Zaidi (former White House climate advisor); State Senators Henry Stern, Caroline Menjivar, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; Assemblymembers Sharon Quirk-Silva, Alex Lee, Ash Kalra and several others
Climate Action California; Sheldon Whitehouse (U.S. Senate, Rhode Island); Smart Justice California
Labor: CA Teachers Association (Apr. 15); CA Nurses Assoc.; CFT; United Domestic Workers (250K); CA School Employees Assoc.; CA Federation of Labor (co-endorsement w/ Porter)
Progressive: Our Revolution (Bernie Sanders org, Apr. 20); Courage California
Environment: California Environmental Voters (co-endorsement w/ Porter); Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund; Third Act; Bill McKibben (Author); Jane Fonda Climate PAC
Climate Action California; Sheldon Whitehouse (U.S. Senate, Rhode Island); Smart Justice California
Labor: CA Teachers Association (Apr. 15); CA Nurses Assoc.; CFT; United Domestic Workers (250K); CA School Employees Assoc.; CA Federation of Labor (co-endorsement w/ Porter)
Progressive: Our Revolution (Bernie Sanders org, Apr. 20); Courage California
Environment: California Environmental Voters (co-endorsement w/ Porter); Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund; Third Act; Bill McKibben (Author); Jane Fonda Climate PAC
Labor: CA Federation of Labor (co-endorsement w/ Steyer); NUHW (45% of member vote); UAW Region 6; Teamsters CA; UNAC/UHCP; ATU; IBEW Local 441; CWA District 9 (Apr. 21); OCEA; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Women's/reform: EMILY's List; Fund Her; End Citizens United; Elect Democratic Women; Vote Mama PAC; Women's Political Committee of Los Angeles
Elected officials: Sen. Elizabeth Warren; Rep. Robert Garcia (CA-42); Rep. Mondaire Jones; Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50); Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (AD-73)
Environment: California Environmental Voters (co-endorsement w/ Steyer); The Climate Center Action Fund
Women's/reform: EMILY's List; Fund Her; End Citizens United; Elect Democratic Women; Vote Mama PAC; Women's Political Committee of Los Angeles
Elected officials: Sen. Elizabeth Warren; Rep. Robert Garcia (CA-42); Rep. Mondaire Jones; Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50); Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (AD-73)
Environment: California Environmental Voters (co-endorsement w/ Steyer); The Climate Center Action Fund
Elected officials: Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (instrumental in stopping single-payer healthcare legislation — direct conflict w/ Becerra's stance on Medicare for All)
U.S. Congress: Salud Carbajal; Dr. Raul Ruiz; Gil Cisneros; Mark Takano
Former U.S. Congress: Tony Cardenas
State Senate: Sabrina Cervantes; Melissa Hurtado; Jerry McNerny; Eloise Gómez
Assembly: Several Assembly members
Labor: LIUNA; CCPOA (CA Correctional Peace Officers Assoc.); CSLEA (CA State Law Enforcement Assoc.); CA State Council of Laborers; International Longshore and Warehouse Union (So. CA Dist. Council)
Healthcare: CPCA Advocates; CA Primary Care Assoc.; CA Partnership for Health; Planned Parenthood Affiliates of CA; CA Medical Association
Civil rights/equity: Equality California; Asian American Action Fund
Education: CA Faculty Assoc.
Party/youth: CA College Democrats; Fresno & San Diego Young Democrats; California Latino Legislative Caucus
U.S. Congress: Salud Carbajal; Dr. Raul Ruiz; Gil Cisneros; Mark Takano
Former U.S. Congress: Tony Cardenas
State Senate: Sabrina Cervantes; Melissa Hurtado; Jerry McNerny; Eloise Gómez
Assembly: Several Assembly members
Labor: LIUNA; CCPOA (CA Correctional Peace Officers Assoc.); CSLEA (CA State Law Enforcement Assoc.); CA State Council of Laborers; International Longshore and Warehouse Union (So. CA Dist. Council)
Healthcare: CPCA Advocates; CA Primary Care Assoc.; CA Partnership for Health; Planned Parenthood Affiliates of CA; CA Medical Association
Civil rights/equity: Equality California; Asian American Action Fund
Education: CA Faculty Assoc.
Party/youth: CA College Democrats; Fresno & San Diego Young Democrats; California Latino Legislative Caucus
Advantages
- Virtually unlimited self-funding; no donor entanglements
- Decades of climate credibility; proven youth voter mobilization (NextGen)
- Outsider appeal; national Democratic network
- Strong consumer advocate with a track record of holding corporations accountable
- Clear and plain-spoken; large grassroots base
- Flipped CA-45 (Republican Orange County) in 2018
- Legislative + state exec + federal exec experience
- 122 lawsuits vs. Trump administration — proven legal fighter
- Strong appeal to Latino voters, labor, institutional Democrats
Vulnerabilities
- "Buying the race" — self-funding dwarfs rivals
- No elected office experience
- Farallon history: private prisons, fossil fuels, predatory lending — though divested ~20 years ago
- Opposition: Millions spent from multiple corporate donors including PG&E ($10M) and CA Chamber of Commerce ($5M) to anti-Steyer PACs such as "NO ON STEYER". Oppositional Corporate Donations benefit all candidates opposing Mr. Steyer
- Temperament/leadership style questions raised across party lines
- Seen as establishment figure; tied to low-approval Democratic brand
- ExxonMobil climate case: opened by A.G. Harris, dropped by A.G. Becerra, re-opened by A.G. Bonta
- Declined charges in 2018 Stephon Clark shooting — sparked widespread protests
- Threatened journalists with legal action for possessing public records on officers' criminal convictions
- Fraud & oversight: Former Chief of Staff indicted on 23 counts of bank & wire fraud — ~$225K diverted from dormant campaign account. Becerra not accused, but raises oversight questions
Campaign Finance & Major Donors
- Total raised: $122.7M — $122.5M his own money; ~$161K from outside donors
- Outspending entire field combined in advertising
- Outside donors: Nat Simons; Alfred Clark; Richard & Dee Lawrence (Cool Effect clean energy)
- Advocates banning corporate PAC money in state elections
- Total raised: $6.24M from 48,000+ donors; avg. contribution ~$68; $3.2M cash on hand
- Claims no federal corporate PAC money; 100,000+ individual donors as of April 2026
- Notable donors: NUHW PAC; CA Teamsters PACs; SMART union PACs; actor Edward Norton
- Indirect benefit: PG&E donated $10M and the Chamber of Commerce $5M to an anti-Steyer PAC — a rival weakened is a Porter gain
- Total raised: $2.89M — smallest war chest among top Democratic contenders
- Seeded with $2.6M+ transferred from prior campaign accounts
- Notable donors: Chevron (per state filings); labor and healthcare PACs
- Chevron donation draws scrutiny given his A.G. environmental record
- Indirect benefit: PG&E donated $10M and the Chamber of Commerce $5M to an anti-Steyer PAC — a rival weakened is a Becerra gain
- Border Health PAC (TX-based, healthcare-tied, typically Republican-leaning) maxed out contributions to Becerra